Drivers have been stuck for hours in a multi-storey car park in Cardiff with one describing scenes in the car park as "carnage." St David's Car Park was blocked bumper to bumper on Valentines Day Wednesday, February 14 with the shopping centre blaming half term and congestion for the delays.
Some drivers reported being stuck on the higher levels of the car park for "over an hour" while trying to exit. Responding to one person on X, formerly Twitter, a representative for the car park said: "The city centre is particularly busy this week due to half term and there is a lot of congestion which is causing delays exiting the car park. Our team is in contact with traffic management to minimise delays for our guests. We’re sorry for any inconvenience."
One person told WalesOnline that they had been stuck on floor six for over an hour and only moved "three spaces" while another user on social media said they hadn't moved in 20 minutes.
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This is not the first time that the city centre car park has been gridlocked. In July 2023, hundreds of people were caught up for over three hours in near standstill, with several choosing to abandon their cars. Tempers flared with some people shouting and swearing at the lengthy delays, one woman who has been waiting two hours to leave said. The situation was still not resolved by the evening.
Months later in October, a similar situation occurred, with hundreds again trapped in the car park. Some drivers said they would "never" use the car park again. Similar carnage ensued over easter weekend.
There are 2,000 spaces at the six-storey car park, with another 500 spaces in the John Lewis car park nearby. Previously, roadworks and the traffic lights to exit the car park had been blamed for the delays.
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